Buenos Aires is known for its amazing meat and famous Asados, which are celebrated like huge barbecue gatherings. However, what do you do if you are a vegan or a vegetarian? Last week I tried a restaurant, which has existed in Buenos Aires for many years and is know for being hundred percent organic: Artemisia – Cocina Natural.
THE INTERIOR
After always going to famous meat places in Buenos Aires, I was very excited to try the opposite: an organic vegetarian restaurant. Entering the front door I already loved it. The interior is very cool, rustic and minimalistic. The combination of white steal chairs and wooden tables made the atmosphere in the restaurant very hip and cool. Some tables had table cloths and some were painted in different colors like turquoise or white. Each table looked different.
From the ceiling plants were hanging and on each table a glas or bottle was standing with a simple flower in it, decorating the table. The restaurant had two floors. However, since it is built like a loft, it felt like one big open room. The building of the restaurant must be very old, because the floor had different combination of rustic and old tiles, which made it even cooler.
FOOD AND DRINKS
Lets talk about the food. First of all the menu was handwritten on a brown paper bag, adding a nice touch and making the place even more authentic. But first ,I have to talk about their super delicious fresh juices. One thing I personally love are fresh juices and this place topped everything I’ve had before. I think I had four different kind of juices within the two hours we spent there. So if you go there forget about water and try as many creations as you can. I recommend their homemade lemonade with ginger. My favorite juice combination was was banana, apple and orange juice.
So let’s get to the food. First of all they bake their own organic bread which you can also buy for take away. The bread was outstanding. Trust me, growing up in Europe I really miss good bread in Argentina, so I was so happy to finally find a place with delicious home made bread. They have a big menu with a combination of vegetarian and vegan dishes. I tried the Ensalada Balanceada and the Plato Mexicano, which were both incredibly good. No matter what you will order from the menu ,it is all super fresh and homemade. And for all with a sweet tooth out there, they have absolutely delicious vegan deserts which you should definitely try. I recommend the “Vegan Chocolate Maquise”.
As a European you are very used to this kind of meals. However, here in Argentina this kind of healthy vegan food is not very common. Therefore, I was so happy to have found my new healthy food place. You notice that you are still in Argentina, by how slow the waiters were working. Even though they were super polite and nice, they were not the fastest. Therefore, a very long queue of people started to build up in front of the restaurant. Because each person had lunch for more or less then two hours. However, since this place has such a lovely atmosphere with delicious food it was totally alright and even nice to enjoy the place for a longer time. So if you decide to go there, plan in some time.
Photos by Editor Helena Schoeller
Adress: Costa Rica 5893, Buenos Aires, Argentina; artemisianatural.com